Chronicles of a Business Journalist | Believer of the African Dream | Mother | Lover of Live| Poet

Friday, December 28, 2012

An Open Letter to Prof Makau Mutua, keep your predictions to yourself.

Dear Prof. Makau Mutua,

“I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.” ― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Prof, you and J.D Salinger clearly share no beliefs. And maybe you shouldn’t.

But I feel that you would be the man with an evil laugh pushing the thousands of little children off the cliff.

Let me explain.

Your tweet on the 23rd of Dec 2012,in Buffalo, New York

"@makaumutua I predict a military coup in Kenya after the March 2013 elections if those indicted for crimes against humanity are elected."

5 years ago, today, I was in my mother’s house in Kitale, watching Television as the country began to break into tension. Our thoughts began to turn into dreadful fears of what could happen. The KICC, the heartbeat of election reporting was abuzz; with many crying foul over vote rigging, delays in reporting, and all sorts of accusations and counter accusations were on live TV. At home, we all stayed in my mother’s living room flicking through the TV channels, watching quietly, afraid to think of the impossible.

Two days later, the 'Breaking News' began flying. Fires were reported everywhere, road blocks manned by machete carrying people, while others were being hacked to death. The Kikuyu, Luo and Kalenjin false superiorities began to tear the country down. It was a terrible time. But of course, you, Prof, were not here; it perhaps was a chilly winter, perhaps in London, or were you in New York? Catching the latest from CNN or the BBC?

You see, my daughter is called Wambui, named after her paternal grandmother, and I am called Chebet, translated as Daughter of the Sun, in Kalenjin, my mother’s language. The two tribes were not allowed in the same place in that period of December 2007. But I managed; we got a flight from Eldoret and flew back to Nairobi where it was safe for her. Many people didn't make it. Many didn't have a flight out of Eldoret as an option. Many died, others were displaced. Most were traumatized for life in their own country.

We, Kenyans, do not want to go through that again.

We hurt, Kenya hurt, and all we have left, is a benign feeling of hope. We are holding to it so strong, and we hope that the blood bath will remain a thing of the past. You see, Professor,When you are at the brink of despair, you don’t need someone to push you off the cliff, you need someone to hold your hand and tell you to hang in there, make things better, love our neighbours, preach peace, and begin to build bridges.

On Christmas day, Just a few days after your tweet about a possible Military Coup in 2013, you said,"‏@makaumutua
walk up to a complete stranger today and tell him, or her, that you love them. Then hug them."

Prof, If that is not the epitome of doublespeak, then I, a lifetime student of Journalism have no idea what double speak means.

Your 25th December tweet about hugging a stranger shows a side of you that believes in the ability of human kind to be good, in a strange Marxist kind of way. The human beings I talk about here are those that did or could once again take part in PEV. Back to Karl Marx: You do remember his argument that man was inherently good, especially if given the right social environment all that good would shine through and illuminate the world with righteousness?

The ICC will do it's work, at least for the sake of all Kenyans we hope that those behind the PEV in 2007-2008 will be brought to book. But we, ordinary Kenyans can do little between now and March 2013 when we cast the ballot.

Now with your doublespeak, part of me wondered why such an influential, Hague appointed, Harvard trained, Buffalo Dean would predict a collapse of the Kenyan government. Military occupations rarely are peaceful, sir. If indeed the Jubilee team creates space for a coup, wouldn't it be prudent that you give us a proper analysis of what informs your statements?

We are a resilient people, we are hopeful that it will be peaceful. That does not in any sense mean that we refuse to see the unsolved matters. IDP's are still in camps, ethnicity is still bubbling underneath; but there are some great positives done since 2007. We still have hope.

Have you lost all hope, Professor?

Perhaps you have been away too long?

Perhaps you have forgotten what it means to be hopeful?

Many of us are clutching onto that hope, and spreading it as far as we can, you call it burying our heads in the sand, but you are in faraway New York, and will not be here if a Military coup happens in 2013.

Professor, as you drive your Hague agenda, ( and many Kenyans are) be careful of your callous and careless language. Please remember that 38 million Kenyans call this country home. They want it to be peaceful, because they live here.

So please, keep your predictions to yourself.

I believe that the real winners never give up on hope.

P.S
I do not write this as a journalist, I write it as a mother and a Kenyan who is hopeful that 2013's election will be a feather in the Kenyan cap, after all we have had successful elections since 1963, one bad one, will not rain on our parade.

69 comments:

Quite a truthful and interesting article Terryanne many of us call Kenya home for many reasons and would not like what Prof Mutua is predicting to come to pass. People should really ponder about their words,thoughts and views before exposing them to the public. i full concur with you on this article

Well said TerryAnne, Prof. Mutua and his ilk are not good for this country. Perhaps, while well hidden in 'hide-out' he desires a coup-de-tat. I wonder how he will benefit! For men of his calibre, instead of speaking hope, and praying for a better, stronger Kenya, he is busy perfecting the art of double-speak! Hague or no Hague, Kenya must and should be stronger. Twice we have come to the brink of disaster as a nation; 1982 attempted coup and the now infamous 2007/8 PEV. How Mutua, with hindsight could stoop so low and utter nonsensical prophesies is beyond me. we all know that Kenya has no capacity, neither emotional, intellectual, social and physical strength to go through such. It is the easiest/quickest to turn Kenya into a bvasket case. To Prof. Mutua and his cohoots..we say thank you for your thoughts, but we dont need them. You may be Kenyan but you are not one of us. You are in the USA!

Well said Ms Chebet... A quote from an article called 'Paradoxes of Our Times" by Bob Moorehead goes like..."We have more experts yet more problems..." Prof Makau is an expert...need i say more? Live up to the expectations your title and experience...SIR!!!

Thank you for dropping by. And for your contribution. I do not in a ny way want to say that Kenya is fine, but there is little that we, citizens can do in the 3 months left to the elections. All I ask for is for those that are pessimistic to bring to the table something that can bring positive change to our beloved country. In March we will have the ballot box to decide who to vote in, I hope the prof sees my thinking in this, instead of his insistence that we are burying our heads in the sand.

People like the Professor have to realize that Kenya is not about a few news-makers called Post Election Violence suspects or other Presidential aspirants. Kenya is not about the flurry of alliances and break-ups with our politicians - I lost track of which party is or isn't ...not that I was keeping track anyway. I partially blame the media from shifting the focus to these people bombarding us with this endless soap opera of politics they call news instead of what Kenya is about ...Kenya is about us.

Kenya is about 38million of us - trying to take care of our kids, eke out a living for those we love, grow in career and trade, commute safely on new roads with bad drivers, wade to work in a badly drained city with pounding rain or stare hopelessly at it tears our makeshift IDP tents...endure hunger when these rains fail with a nostalgic memory of rain water washing down to the Indian Ocean.

Kenya is about us - like President Moi put it "Inaongeza vikombe ngapi vya chai na sufuria za ugali kwako?" - really Kenyans should become selfish - if a politician is not addressing my needs in the policies he is pledging to make (if any are pledged at all) I will not attend his/her rallies, watch him/her in the news - I will not waste my time.

Prof. Makau should wake up Kenya is about us - no one will ever lift a finger in violence ever again in this country against a fellow Kenyan to defend or fight for these characters in our political circus - whether they are elected or not we don't care - the question we care about is "Inaongeza vikombe ngapi vya chai na sufuria za ugali kwangu?"

Nice article... Though, Terryanne, I'd like to remind you that since the introduction of multiparty politics, and you visit media archives to prove me wrong, Kenya has had cycles of violence in Rift Valley, Coast and Tana River areas. The only period when there was relative peace was in 2002..... More to that, you can also check the economic performance within the electoral cycle in Kenya. it always goes down immediately before, during and after the elections.

2013 elections, to say they are poignant is an understatement of the year..... These are Jubilee Elections. The second independence, as it were.....the beginning of a new future or, and God-forbid, the end of Kenya as know it. But I am hopeful, hopeful that we have learnt a lesson from 2007/8, that we are all in this together.....and that we either unite and deal with these MPigs once and for all, or we shall be skinned individually.

Hi Chebet, while I completely do not agree with Prof. Makau's prophecy, I sense that you might have forgotten what caused the bloodshed. Your article seems to blame TV??? I do not agree. The true is that your mind is just driven by a support of a certain tribal king(s). I do not see how a link between two tribes is a solution to all Kenyas problems, perhaps only to the tribal clashes in the Rift Valley. I am left to wonder whether you belief in power-sharing between only two tribes in a country that is inhabited by 42 tribes. We Kenyans must reject impunity. We Kenyans must reject to be auctioned by our tribal Kings. Kenyans must come out of the cocoon, like the one your are in.. you want to just be boxed into trouble simply because of a merger of the two guys who were indicted in killing of 1300 people. Sorry for requesting you to think about the whole nation and not about Kikuyu and Kalenjin only.

When I came to the USA, I went direct to California to visit some of the kiambaa children who are still being treated there. The message written in their faces was that of hope. One is now a mother and has cleared high school education. How many times has makau left his room to visit those affected by the clashes. I was in studio all through the chaos and at times broke down in tears on air. The most important thing now as kenyans is to speak positive like my one time workmate chebet has done. Makau owes kenyans an apology. We need to prophesy positively to the dry bones like in ezekiel 37.

Well put terryanne. If the Prof thinks that we are burying our heads in the sand, let him know that at least it's Kenyan sand unlike prophets of doom like him seeing illusions from sands of strange lands.

I hope those who meted the violence on other Kenyans will believe this! They kill, maime and destroy for "pesa nane"! I'm a parent too but I'm not sure Kenyans learned a lesson... The Wananchi and the bourjois Middle-Class are on two separate pages... The political Elite are also on their own page. Actually probably another book altogether!!!... It's win at all costs!! Hate speech, mudslinging, name calling and painting the other as the devil... That is where Prof belongs... up in the sky! Trying to predict from a "birds eye" view. No wonder Pawa254 calls them Mavulture!May God bless Kenya!!

the professor is at it again,Terryann. in todays daily nation, the professor dedicates about 500 words to fear mongering.As a friend just told me, we surely expect better, far much better, from a distinguished professor.i had the dis-pleasure of watching him on the bench with koinange recently. the man just won't stop his fear campaign.Regular Kenyans, the so called wananchi,are not asking for much.we are only asking that we resist stroking embers-we just might set the country on fire.but then gain, the good professor will be in the US by then,watching it on TV.#SMH

the professor is at it again,Terryann. in todays daily nation, the professor dedicates about 500 words to fear mongering.As a friend just told me, we surely expect better, far much better, from a distinguished professor.i had the dis-pleasure of watching him on the bench with koinange recently. the man just won't stop his fear campaign.Regular Kenyans, the so called wananchi,are not asking for much.we are only asking that we resist stroking embers-we just might set the country on fire.but then gain, the good professor will be in the US by then,watching it on TV.#SMH

You are indeed a true Kenyan girl/woman. Some people like Prof are really praying for the downfall of this country so that they may say '' see, i said it''. Those are not ''kenyans'' and all they say shouldn't spoil the peace and harmony we have in our beautiful nation. Kenyans of goodwill will give even their own lives for the little peace were are fighting for. Mutua can predict as much as he can for NEWYORK but leave Kenya and Kenyans in peace.

Thanx Terryanne. Yes we all wish that the good Prof. is wrong. But if we love Kenya we need to take his prediction seriously and take precautions. He is a person with a lot of sources of info and we can not just brush him aside.

Thanks Terry for the post... does this guy from the United States know something that we don't? he should be arrested to explain to the police what he really meant... its such a shame to hear such remarks from a person of such profile who doesn't even know what suffering is, neither does he know how poor Kenyans from different ethnic backgrounds co-exist in the slums ... let's preach peace during this critical time to heal our nation..

a piece that makes for calming reading.voices of hope and promise and rational optimism cannot be silenced.there those of us who lead real lives.and there are those of us who lead cosmetic lives;far away from reality,in ivory towers of imagined tranquillity.like the triple faced prof.this country is indeed our only home.

This comment by Chebet is really *exceptionally* stupid and short-sighted, even by (not anymore high) Kenyan journalism standards.

It is slave souls like her who have kept and keep the bunch of criminals and exploiters in power for 50 years, and whose boot-licking obsequiousness ensures that nothing ever changes to the better. Shindwe !

May PEACE be our guiding principle always. Hague should not occupy our mind to an extent that when it is mentioned we all go down our knees. God will shall be done. Kenya needs us and we need Kenya today and tomorrow.

Thank you for taking your time to read this post. Sam, not at all, I blamed it on what I call in the article "false superiorities". We watched the horror unfold on TV. Every Kenyan worth his salt knows what caused the PEV, not just in 2007, but the same that happened in Molo, Tana River and other places in previous polls.

I did not, in any way intend this to be a journalistic article, as you can clearly see, it is laced with emotion. So pardon my digression, I am also Kenyan, and also a mother. Whose child could easily have been a a target of PEV.

Personally, (and for most of us )I do not have a way of strengthening institutions within the next 2 months. I will only play my role in reshaping the Kenya I would Like to see when we go to the ballot in March.

I agree with this comment "Would it hurt to interrogate why he thinks Uhuruto`s presidency will lead to a military coup? "

I would wish that the necessary authorities put the good professor to task to explain where that sentiment came from.

What is it about an Uhuru-Ruto presidency could lead to a military coup? I would also like to know the answer to that question.

And to Alexander..."This comment by Chebet is really *exceptionally* stupid and short-sighted, even by (not anymore high) Kenyan journalism standards. It is slave souls like her who have kept and keep the bunch of criminals and exploiters in power for 50 years, and whose boot-licking obsequiousness ensures that nothing ever changes to the better. Shindwe !"

There's about 35 comments up there on the blog, you must be the only smart one in the building. Find a page, tell us more about our stupid and short sighted hope.

What you however need to understand is that this is not a political analysis, it is a letter, an opinion. My Opinion.

Chebet Military Rule does not spell doom to anyone but to the politicians. It means authourity being transferred from civilian to military, that does not mean we shall fight. I think you should write an Open letter to our politicians telling them to stop engaging communities in skirmeshes instead of Mutua. At least Mutua has the good will of the people. You don't kill the messenger who has been sent to you. No hard feelings chebet

The "necessary authority" (what a mtukufu'ied formulation - but it certainly shows WHERE your mindset is rooted, Terryanne: firmly in Moiism) is the ICC. And the ICC indeed will have the good professor explain. Which will make you wail and whine, because it could actually show a path to justice and an end of impunity - and that certainly is to be dreaded. Right?

On a second least, your last comment (style "hoist on one's own petard") is revealing. You clearly distiguish between political analyses (apparently only to be delivered by your betters, people above the rank of news anchor?), and between MERE "opinions", such like yours. How gracious. If I only need another "opinion" in addition to my own, I'll ask the estate watchman. His one actually might be a lot more reasonable, because he - unlike Terryanne Chebet - does not belong to the class that is profiting from oppression and impunity and is thus defending it.

Albert, read the article again, rub off the anger for a bit, you may see some sense in it.

I am at all not against the ICC, if anything, I am all for it.

what I am against is the festering of fear and war mongering when Kenyans can really do nothing between today and election day.

It would be great however if you would suggest some solutions that we ordinary Kenyans can take between now and then. I doubt you have any though,otherwise you would have suggested it before calling names.

Read the article for what is is about, an emotional letter from a mother, and a hopeful Kenyan.

Maybe my simplistic thinking got you predicting my (moi-ism) as you call it, but if you do read previous posts or comments I have made before, you will understand where I am coming from.

Impunity cannot be tolerated. I do not, and will not subscribe to it. I do not call myself a proud African child for nothing. Having hope does not translate to supporting impunity, even your estate watchman knows that.

But we only have the ballot to change that. Is it so terrible for some of us to hope that the elections will be smooth?

But then again, if you want a political analysis, you have plenty of choice, unless someone put a gun on your forehead and asked you to read this post.

So, Eichener, Farf around, there's plenty of reasonable activism out there! And take a double dose of Chill pill, it helps.

As Einstein once remarked, humanity has every reason to place proclaimers of hope, high moral standards and values above the discoverers of objective truth. That's why your message of hope outweighs the professor's objective assessments.

Bitter pill by Prof. Makau, but it gets you well. At the end of the day we see the lawless insecurity that is so rampant in the country only signified by a country that has undergone a coup. Nigeria is a case in point of a state that has not been able to deal with such violence ever. Now, why not warn and anticipate the consequences of failure. Kenya worked hard on changing the constitution and yet again we want lackluster activities that have cost Kenya many unwarranted disunited, corrupt, patronizing forms of governance complete with a "New Constitution" that is altered everyday to suit a few parliamentarians.

if i did not know better, Terryanne, i'd have felt hopeless and helpless after reading your blog and the comments, as well as Makau Mutua's article. i prefer to make reference to the constitution with regards to our politics and am happy to report that my thinking is no longer tossed to and fro by the 9pm news or newspaper headlines as happens to most of the people that i interact with.

Chebet just thanks! Prof predicts doom...A military coup. to him is fighting powers of impunity. with my little eaducation...Prof. is a distinguished something I dont remember. What makes him forget that a Coup is Mother of Impunity? Where did professor gather intelligence on an impending Coup? Some smart dig up should be done to establish the truth or falsehood of this statement. Someone should put this propagator of archaic tendencies into shame. Prof I detest your tweet like I hate impunity. Grow dignity man...

Good points.The challenge lies in the variance between where we want to go and where we may be heading. The village madman may be the only one left to point that out. Pro Makau may be that madman, pay attention

Watched him on Capital Talk on K24 a while back and if you are to believe some of the things he says we are a failed state with a Uhuru presidency. Let him comment of US politics and let us be since he doesn't even live here.

While I do understand your concern as a parent and a Kenyan, I find that I cannot agree with your views, Ms. Chebet. Why do you turn on Prof. Mutua for stating what he believes to be a possible outcome of electing two completely unsuitable leaders? Why do you assign to him a "Hague agenda"? What would, in your opinion, happen if we elected the two leaders in question and the worst indeed came to the worst? For all the "sovereign state" noise we make, Kenya is nowhere near self-sufficiency. What would happen if foreign investment dried up, the currency devalued, trade sanctions were imposed? What would happen if our trading partners shunned us and our export markets dried up? Do you think such a government would be able to hold power for any length of time? In fact, the question is, should they be allowed to hold power? Why should 40 million suffer for two? Why should the resources and future of a nation be subject to the ambitions of a few? I doubt you think that not challenging or rallying against the candidacy of the two leaders in question will ensure peace, because I know you are not naive enough to think that the decades-long ethnic problems of this country have been washed away by one political alliance of convenience.

What you have done with this letter is to shoot the messenger. Perhaps you should have addressed your open letter and your pleas to the leaders in question, rather than direct your barbs at Prof. Mutua, who does raise valid questions. Should anything go wrong after the elections, you can be sure it will not be Prof. Mutua's doing. Prof. Mutua is not the problem, our selfish leaders are.

Terryanne, Thankyou for your words, they inspire hope in us. I wonder what makes Prof. Makau think Kenya will have military Coup if Uhuru and / or Ruto are elected President. What he forgets is that, it will have been Kenyans who will have elected them. It will have been the wish of the Kenyan People. We are hopeful that this country will be peaceful and calm after the general election no matter who is elected to be the president.

Thanks Terry Anne I think what we need is for the Kenyan Print Media to give this Prof. a blackout, I have read his articles on Nation and the Star and some online posts, but most of them are full of Hatred towards some politicians and some of the comments he makes are more or less to incite people against each other again. George

Nice piece Terry Anne, most of my political thinking friends have always complained that the Professor thinks more like a politician than a lawyer. I agree that it is not prudent for a man of his stature to make such assertions, but what if there is such a possibility? what if truely Kenya can reel into a coup? Dont you think he has his freedom of expression to do us justice; what they call the 1st amendment right in the U.S.

Please don't forget he is saying a logical thing before he asserts the possibility of a coup; Who in there right senses would like to appoint a suspect as their president?

Prof. Mutua is just a Raila Odinga sycophant.He is part of the whole Western agenda to try install Odinga as prez. Raila and Mutua are simply pawns in the silly scheme,which is Headed for a big failure. I guess Raila needed a replacement after Miguna saw the light and bolted and Mutua was ready and willing.

ICC will be rejected by Kenyans, Prof.Mutua will have to live with that. We left neocolonialsim 50years ago and we aint going back! Fearmongering by Mutua is a juvenile strategy.

My Compliments Terry,Hope the Prof will in good faith reply and come 4th March 2013 which is just at the corner he will join us to vote in our New President of Kenya and other Leaders for the next 5 Years.We hope the New Leaders will have a Vision of 50 Years or more.GOD BLESS KENYA AND HER LOVELY PEOPLE

Lets put the nation before self. Prof. Mutua has expressed his views, may be too blunt but never sugar coat the truth. There is doom and gloom coming if we alienate our country from rest of the world. That i can bet.

Prophets of doom can only see what they think. Prof Mutua's articles have never come to pass and it will never pass, my friend it is kenyans who have a sole mandate of choosing their next President and no military man can ever think of going against a constitutionally elected President, that will never happen in Kenya ya sasa. Chebet, you have spoken like a great mother who has a heart for this country and you dont need to explain yourself any better to some few sons of prophets of doom here, you got 99% supporting your reply and thats enough to press on and make sure we play a part in shaping our country, they have sensed defeat and the only way for them to instil fear in kenyans by predictions from hot air!!

Thank you Terry. That was one wonderful peace of article. With all due respect, Prof Makau is a tribalist whose opinions are shaped by the political standing of prominent Kamba politicians. Do you all remember 2007? Mutua used to call Raila all sorts of names. He used to say that he will never see the Kenyan presidency. I don't know what has changed for him to think otherwise. Maybe it's because Kalonzo is supporting Raila? He should probably stick to writing fictional books.

Thank you very much Terry. That was wonderful article. And thank you guys for wonderful comments i have just learn something very important out of this....https://www.facebook.com/pages/BIG-TIME-HOLIDAYS-LTD/274752349216095

Predictions, like prophesies are of no use being kept by the bearer. You have the choice to heed Makau's warnings or ignore, afterall we know who the protagonists were and who suffered the greatest casualties.

I like that Terryanne. I have revisited your note after reading today's (7/4/2013) column in the Daily Nation. I think Prof Makau is bitter and irredeemably paranoid. Kenya has moved on. Mutua needs to join the rest of the Nation.